Conference Plan The 41st Annual Meeting of the Society for Leukocyte Biology. "Leukocytes: Tissue Interactions, Homeostasis and Host Defense". Organizers: Jill Suttles, Ph.D., University of Louisville School of Medicine David W.H. Riches, Ph.D., National Jewish Medical and Research Center Location: The Westin Tabor Center, Denver, Colorado. Dates: November 6-8, 2009. Specific Aims Over the past several years there has been a growing appreciation for the complexity and specificity of the interactions of leukocytes with their tissue environment. Communication between leukocytes and their host tissues maintains homeostasis and ensures proper responses to pathogens. Recent research advances have heightened the awareness that therapies targeting leukocyte function in disease treatment must take into account the specialized features of tissue environments, the bi-directional communication between leukocytes and tissues, and the mechanisms involved in leukocyte tissue targeting and leukocyte longevity. The understanding of the role of leukocytes in specialized tissues, e.g., lung, gut, liver, adipose, vasculature, as well as in the tumor microenvironment, will be facilitated by bringing together researchers cross- disciplines. The annual meetings of the Society for Leukocyte Biology have a long tradition of highlighting the highest quality and most innovative work on the mechanisms underlying leukocyte function in disease pathogenesis and host defense. This meeting will continue this tradition, with the goal of bringing together scientists to exchange ideas that will further our understanding of the unique relationships between leukocytes and their tissue environments. The Specific Aims of the conference are outlined below. Specific Aim 1. To provide a forum for 300-400 participants from academic, governmental and industrial laboratories and hospitals to share recent advances in leukocyte-tissue interactions, leukocyte homeostasis and host defense. Presentations will include talks by invited speakers as well as talks and poster presentations chosen from submitted abstracts. Specific Aim 2. To present a program that captures the most significant advances from the previous year in the following areas: Leukocyte-tissue interactions (including specific tissue dendritic cell programming of T cell responses, tumor-leukocyte interactions, and the specialized environment of the lung), the interaction of inflammatory and metabolic pathways, leukocytes in vascular disease, host-pathogen interactions, advances in chemokine, cytokine and lipid mediator research, and translation research in inflammatory disease. Specific Aim 3. To provide an opportunity for young investigators and trainees to interact closely with well-established researchers in their fields, and to present their research in poster or oral presentations. Specific Aim 4. To provide an opportunity for women, under-represented minorities and persons with disabilities to participate in a meeting that showcases their work and facilitates interactions with other scientists in their fields. The Society for Leukocyte Biology will be holding its 41st Annual Meeting on November 6-8, 2008, in Denver, Colorado. The title of the meeting is "Leukocytes: Tissue Interactions, Homeostasis, and Host Defense". Research over the past several years has resulted in a growing appreciation for the complexity and specificity of the interactions of leukocytes with their tissue environment. Cross-talk between leukocytes and their host tissues maintains homeostasis and ensures proper responses to pathogens. An outcome of these studies is the awareness that therapies targeting leukocyte function in disease treatment must take into account the specialized features of tissue environments, the bi-directional communication between leukocytes and tissues, and the mechanisms involved in leukocyte tissue targeting and leukocyte longevity. The Keynote and Plenary Session speakers of the 2008 Society for Leukocyte Biology (SLB) Annual Meeting are amongst those researchers whose efforts, including during the past year, have shed light on these topics. A goal of the 2008 SLB meeting is to nurture collaborations between researchers involved in the study of leukocytes in different tissues, diseases, and conditions. The understanding of the role of leukocytes in specialized tissues, e.g., lung, gut, liver, adipose, vasculature, as well as in the tumor microenvironment, will be facilitated by bringing together researchers cross-disciplines.